Culture of Colombia
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The Culture of Colombia is heterogenous and complex, having emerged from the uneven mixing of Amerindian, Spanish, African, and other elements. Cumbia is the de facto national dance of Colombia and an important expression of its unique mixture of founding cultures. The Castilian language and Catholic faith, shared by a majority of Colombians, are testaments to Spain's colonial legacy.
As with other parts of Latin America, Colombia is becoming more urbanized, cosmopolitan, and modern. Popular culture and daily life increasingly bear the mark of globalized cultural forms, including influences from the English-speaking world, modern Spain, and other Latin American nations. In turn, Colombians have in recent decades made important contributions to both popular and high art world culture (Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez, painter Fernando Botero, pop-star Shakira).
According to a study in late 2004 by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam Colombians are one of the happiest people in the world.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Colombia may be divided geographically into five major regions:
- Caribbean Region (el Caribe, la costa)
- Andean Highlands (región andina, el altiplano, el interior)
- Pacific Region
- Amazonian Rainforests (las selvas)
- Orinocoan Plains (los llanos)
Colombia is the only country in South America with both Pacific and Atlantic (Caribbean) coastlines. Because of its proximity to the equator, Colombia has a tropical climate at sea level. Since temperature generally decreases with altitude, the Spanish established agricultural centers and cities (including the capital, Bogotá) in the higher, cooler altitudes of Colombia's Andean cordilleras or mountain ranges. Outside the Andean interior and coastal cities (which were established for the export of resources to the mother country), a large part of Colombia's landmass remained undeveloped and largely uninhabited. To this day, large parts of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Pacific regions (all sharing tropical climates) remain underdeveloped.
[edit] Regional Differences
Partly a result of Colombia's climate and treacherous topography, Colombian culture has become intensely regionalized. Elements of European culture are detectable throughout, thanks to the legacy of the conquest and viceroyalty. African influence, stemming from the days of slavery, extends along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts and into the Magdalena and Cauca river valleys. Amerindian influence is strongest in interior, especially in the south of the country, but also on the Guajira Peninsula in the extreme north.
[edit] Costeño vs Cachaco
Some Colombians from the Caribbean region (Costeños) think of themselves as a vertible nation apart from the inhabitants of the interior, whom they perceive as haughty and refer to as Cachacos. Those from the interior also maintain their own stereotypes on those from the coast. This cultural meme spawned a 2003 telenovela called La Costeña y el Cachaco, which centered on a love affair between a passionate costeña woman and her hopelessly mis-matched cachaco lover.
These stereotypes are often used in jest and good humor, although they do point to unresolved class problems within Colombian society. It is also important to note that not all Colombians (nor all Colombian stereotypes) fit easily into either category (for example, Paisas or Pastusos).
[edit] Colombian "Races"
- The Costeño Race is in a sense a part of a greater Caribbean cultural continuum, with its loss of final /s/ sounds in the local dialect, brightly-colored architecture, spicy cuisine, and strong African presence; costeños are perceived as agreeable people, happy and extroverted; their variant of Colombian culture is the one that has been popularized most in the world at large, by artists like Shakira and Carlos Vives in music, Obregón and Enrique Grau in painting, and Manuel Zapata Olivella and Gabriel García Márquez in literature. The Coast is home to cumbia, vallenato, porro, mapalé, sexteto, reggaetón, bugalú, as well as many other music genres.
- Cartageneros: residents of the walled-city of Cartagena, birthplace of cumbia.
- Barranquilleros or Curramberos: citizens of port city of Barranquilla; home to Colombia's greatest carnival festivities, proclaimed by UNESCO in November of 2003, as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity; melting pot with Italian, Syrian, Lebanese, Canary Island, French, and German populations.
- Samarios: citizens of port city of Santa Marta.
- Guajiros: those on La Guajira peninsula (see Wayúu people).
- Monterianos: from Montería.
- Momposinos: come from the Island of Mompóx in the middle of the Magdalena River; birthplace of Totó la Momposina.
- Valledupareces: who come from Valledupar; invented vallenato.
- The Cachaco Race is known for its clear Spanish dialect, European influence, good manners, dark clothing, sense of humor, and love for learning and the arts.
- Bogotanos or Rolos: names for residents of the capital, Bogotá, called the "Athens of South America".
- Cundiboyacences: or those from Cundinamarca and Boyacá who are known for their use of the second-person pronoun sumercé.
- Santandereanos: from Santander and Norte de Santander Department are known for their courage and strength of character; locals are proud of their revolutionary and egalitarian heritage, having sent many troops in the wars for Colombia's liberation and for never having introduced slavery in its territory.
- The Paisa Race inhabit the mountanous parts of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, and parts of Tolima. They are famous for their industriousness, intelligence, gregariousness, business skills, large families, and strong Catholic faith. They were the first Colombians to industrialize, and to this date are the backbone of Colombia's economy.
- Vallunos: from Valle del Cauca and Cauca have a strong influence from the Afro-Colombians on the Pacific coast. They are also known for having produced many of Colombia's movie stars.
- Caleños: or residents Cali are known as party people, having imported salsa and other Latin American music forms from Cuba and Puerto Rico. They are also known for their beauty, having produced many Miss Colombias.
- Magdalénicos: including the oil-boom city Barrancabermeja is halfway between Costeño and Cachaco, both geographically and culturally.
- Opitas: from Tolima and Huila are known for their patience and festiveness.
- Chocoanos: those from El Chocó, the most Afro-Colombian of sub-groups.
- Pastusos: those from (Nariño), the most Andean Indian of sub-groups.
- Amazónicos: mostly thought of as explorers or Amazonian Amerindians.
- Llaneros: the cowboys of Colombia; creators of joropo.
[edit] Religion
Studies prove about 95% of Colombians are Roman Catholic.
[edit] Family
The family is, as it is with nearly all of Latin America, a highly important institution to Colombians. Members of the extended family are close and children rarely ever move far away from their parents. There is a deep sense of familial responsibility that stretches through many generations. This may be reflected in the fact that Colombia has one of the lowest divorce rate in the world.[citation needed]
Traditionally, men were usually the head of the household, in charge of earning most of the family's income while women were responsible for cooking, housework and raising children. However, as in most cultures around the world, the dawn of the 20th Century brought forth a great empowerment for women, and today the majority of families (regardless of economic class) have two working parents.
[edit] Society
Due to economic instability and high unemployment over the last century or so, Colombia has developed a huge rift between two economic classes (Low and High) with an almost nonexistent middle class.
The Amerindian peoples of Colombia's southern regions, near the Brazilian border, live in huts of thatched palm. Bogotá is home to about 7.7 million people. Other important cities are Medellín, Barranquilla, Cali, Bucaramanga, and Cartagena.
At a child's baptism, the parents of the child will choose godparents, padrinos. A child's padrinos will play an important role in his life, giving advice, and when needed, financial support. The Family is very important in this culture.
[edit] Manners and Communication
Colombian communication is diverse. There are different ways of communicating in different regions of the country. People from the coastal regions have similar communication patterns to Cubans, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans. Andean Colombians, on the other hand, generally have a communication style closer to Mediterranean Europe. The Colombian from Bogota were well known in the 30s, 40s, and 50s for their British-like manners. And were often compared to the Europeans. However since the 60s through the present years the Bogotans have become very mixed (kids of a parent from the coastal regions and one from Bogota)and have lost their customs.
There are also differences of accent or idiom.
Overall, Colombians are known for being lively and witty communicators; clever word play is a major factor in Colombian culture. Colombian Spanish is considered as the best standard Spanish to use.
[edit] Entertainment
The country's most popular sport is futbol (soccer).
The traditional sport of bullfighting, brought to South America by the Spanish, remains popular in Colombia; bullfighting is normally seen in national festivals or during the bullfighting season.
Baseball has become popular in recent years; it is especially popular along the coast and is strongly promoted all around the country. Edgar Rentería is an example of a famous Colombian baseball player.
An ancient game called tejo, inherited from the Chibcha, is also played. The object of tejo is to throw a small metal disk at a gunpowder detonator in a small circular area. The winner is calculated by the number of explosions compared to number of throws.
Dancing is very popular in Colombia, with dozens of popular vibrant styles. Dancing to reggeaton is very popular in Colombia as well as in the rest of Latin America. Popular dance styles are salsa, Merengue, and Bambuco. The latter is a very complicated dance with many differently named steps.
Cumbia, which originated on the Caribbean Coast, is the national dance. It should not be confused with other kinds of Cumbia that have become popular throughout Latin America.
[edit] Art and Fun Facts
Colombians have been producing art for thousands of years. Ornate golden figures and jewelry from millennia ago have been discovered by both ruthless conquistadors and careful archaeological digs.
Some Colombian artists, such as Enrique Grau and Fernando Botero, have received international fame, awards and wide public acclaim.
The Colombian author, Gabriel García Márquez, won the Nobel Prize for his book Cien Años de Soledad (Spanish: One Hundred Years Of Solitude). It is the history of a Colombian family, the Buendias, and their small town, Macondo, through the 20th century.
[edit] See also
- Colombian cuisine
- Music of Colombia
- List of players from Colombia in Major League Baseball
- Carnival in Colombia
- Festivals out of Colombia
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